Oscar Piastri had “no problem” but Lando Norris criticised as “very messy”

Veteran Formula 1 journalist Peter Windsor says Lando Norris can be “very messy” in traffic after he took too long to pass the slower Red Bull of Max Verstappen in the Miami Grand Prix.

McLaren driver Norris caught up with Verstappen on lap 14 in Miami, shortly after his teammate Oscar Piastri had passed the Dutchman for the lead of the race.

But although the MCL39 was as much as a second quicker than the rest of the competition on Sunday, Norris couldn’t dispatch Verstappen’s RB19 until five laps later.

On one occasion, the Briton got a great run on the Red Bull on the back straight to inch ahead under braking for Turn 17, only to run wide at the exit of the corner and have to hand back the position to Verstappen.

After several fumbled overtaking attempts, Norris finally pulled clear of Verstappen on lap 18, but by then his teammate Piastri had already built an 8.4s lead at the front of the field.

Windsor believes the Miami F1 race exposed Norris’ shortcomings in wheel-to-wheel battles, as he criticised him for losing too much time while battling with Verstappen.

He contrasted Norris’ overtaking skills with those of Piastri, who claimed the lead of the race with relative ease after forcing Verstappen into a mistake at Turn 1.

Lando Norris trait criticised against Max Verstappen

“When Lando was trying to get past Max to get up to P2, he quickly caught Max but with the tyres now hot and the McLaren in much better shape than the Red Bull, he took too long to pass Max,” Windsor said on his podcast.

“Maybe it was because he was a bit daunted by what had happened out of the first corner but it was just a bit more that Lando is a little bit messy - very messy - when it comes to traffic.

“Oscar Piastri got past Max Verstappen, absolutely no problem. It took him two laps [and] bang he was gone.

“Actually, Piastri induced Max into his second mistake of the race, the first was obviously at the first corner [at the start].

“It was at the same corner where Oscar got the DRS on the pit straight. Max just braked a little too hard again and ran wide and Oscar took the lead. Very very simple.

“But Max made no mistakes when Lando Norris was behind him. He didn't feel the pressure.

“At one point Lando did get past in the second straight with DRS, but then ran wide off track and had to give Max the position back the next straight and had to repass him - it was very messy.

“By the time Lando got past Max to make it a McLaren 1-2, he was nine seconds behind Oscar Piastri.”

Norris and polesitter Verstappen also battled for the lead at the very start of the race, with the Red Bull driver running wide at Turn 1 after locking up his tyres.

While Norris drew alongside him into Turn 2, he was forced off the track by Verstappen, who held on to his position.

After the race, Norris pointed the finger at Verstappen for putting rival drivers in a ‘crash or don’t pass’ position, but McLaren team principal Andrea Stella said he could have been more “patient” in their battle given how quick the MCL39 was in Miami.

Windsor believes Norris didn’t do a good enough job of understanding Verstappen’s tactics and should have just backed off the corner to safeguard second position.

“Max used probably a little more road than he should have knowing Lando was there and Lando had no alternative but to go off track and lose two or three places,” Windsor explained.

“I don't think Lando read Max very well and had he just backed off slightly there, let Max take that position, filed in behind him, he would have still been second but much more importantly, he would have been in front of Oscar Piastri and he probably would have won the race.

“Easy to say Lando blew it there but you get to read the character of the individual you are racing against.”